Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 618 The Dawn of Belogersk (Part 2)
"You have a foolproof method? Hoshino Shota, member of the 'Dark Night Investigation Team'?" Dark said sarcastically.
“Even Adaloni himself cannot use the power of the dragon race, so how could you and I possibly help him?”

"Do you still remember that Khitan Lis Ring Jade?" Hoshino Shota ignored Dark's impolite attitude and stared at Dark intently as he asked.
"When Anna gave this ordinal demon to Andaroni, she said, 'It was originally a symbol of suppressing the dragon race, but as long as a dragon holds it in human form, it can exert a corresponding proportion of dragon power as its magical source power level increases.' I believe Anna's information is correct... or at least harmless."

"She has also carried this ordinal demon, which contains Eastern craftsmanship and culture, for a long time. She shouldn't be giving us wrong information. At most, she might be hiding some things."

"If I remember correctly, Adaroni existed in human form for a thousand years. Dealing with the 'Sorrow' and unclean energy within the Senar prison had exhausted the remaining magical energy within him." Dark recalled the training on extraordinary powers he had received in the Icefall City Strategic Regiment, and said:

"Usually, we always think that the acquired sequence nucleus is part of the body and will not disappear or become incomplete. In fact, this is true in the context of the short lifespan of humans. But over a longer period of time, we will find that when suffering long-term torment, the sequence nucleus will continuously sacrifice itself to radiate energy in order to maintain the continuation of life."

"This explains why the higher the order, the lower the possibility of mental collapse, while the lower the order, the easier it is to fall into chaos and hallucinations. According to my perception, Adaloni's magical source order should not exceed the fifth level, that is: Pain."

“Yes, your judgment is correct.” Hoshino Shota pulled a bright red “blood test” strip from his pocket. Dark was very familiar with this test strip, which was used to test the degree of infection of a superhuman and the type of extraordinary power they possessed.

Before entering Novayask, he and Wright underwent monitoring with "blood test strips." It was because they received the rare blue result that Shaneva took notice of them and got them into their current troubles.

“Red, only one side is stained red, which means Adaloni is not infected with the ‘Heartless Virus.’ After all, the scalding liquid has the properties of many mechanical and chemical materials, and can easily penetrate the specially made test strip with blood.” Hoshino Shota handed the test strip to Dark and explained:

"The blood of dragons is gentle. In the book 'The Lament of the Dragon' written by a sage of Khitanris, it is mentioned that dragons are a gentle race from birth. They have never been angry, nor are they easily angry, unless the power of darkness corrupts their hearts."

"They would rather starve than face the gods with a violent and despicable attitude. If you can reawaken the order core within Adaloni and advance his magical power level, he will gradually transform back into a true dragon. Right now, he's not even a half-dragon."

"The Khitanris Ring, combined with the Crimson Dragon Roar taught to Light Socrates by the founder of Khitanris in the illusion, might achieve the effect you desire," Dark attempted to refuse with objective reasons.
“My magical energy is of the dark type, which is absolutely in conflict with the power of the dragon race. It’s already a blessing from fate that Adaroni doesn’t hate me. If Nebrius had the strength… at least a capable and loyal commando team, I think it wouldn’t be a problem to bring Dark to Belogersk.”

Hoshino Shota glanced at Dark but did not answer immediately. He tried to guide Dark to contribute to Nebrius's plan by using reality and benefits, starting with small tasks that he could manage, and gradually he would become more and more involved.

In reality, judging from the simple conversation, Dark's desire to break away from the Crusad Federation has permeated every corner of his body, even his blood and marrow. To realize Nebrius's ambition, or the ultimate goal of the "Dark Night Investigation Team," it might be necessary to report to Nebrius and offer him more benefits.

Thinking of this, Hoshino Shota's face showed deep regret. He sighed and said in a sorrowful tone:

“Nebrius may not have thought of building a suicide squad loyal to him, but the ‘Devotion Group’ did. Unfortunately, their leader, ‘Blood Wolf,’ is too arrogant and overconfident. This morning, he led a dozen of the most elite Lost Warriors, and even a Restorer, to infiltrate the ‘Former 08’ military fortress where Shaneva is temporarily staying.”

"To catch the thief, first catch the king; strategically, that's correct. Besides, the Novayask local forces controlled by Shaneva have only recently retaken this area and their foothold is not yet secure. Taking advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack could easily catch them off guard and achieve unexpected results," Dak said, stroking his chin as he analyzed the situation from a purely military perspective.

"At the beginning, it was indeed as you said. They killed three or four hundred Federation soldiers through a sneak attack and successfully broke through the weakly defended underground level of the fortress from the 'ground line' upwards. But when the 'Blood Wolf' stretched out its bloody claws, trying to pierce Shaneva's heart, a young man appeared and turned the tide."

"Who is it?" A surge of inexplicable excitement and panic welled up in Dark's heart. He stared at Hoshino Shota, his sharp and serious gaze seemingly warning him not to lie.

Of course, the orders Hoshino Shota received from Nebrius did not include the option of deceiving Dark with lies for personal gain. He spoke frankly, saying:

"'Blood Wolf' said he was a young man with eight tentacles on his back and possessing red magical energy. During their conversation, both the young man and Shaneva referred to him as 'The Orderer.' I think only one person fits this description: Light Socrates."

"You mean he's already sided with the Federal Council and is using red magical energy against you? If he really is Wright, I think it won't be long before he comes to our side," Dark further explained.

"As long as you find a way, by any means necessary, to inform him that I and Adaloni are on the side of the 'Dedication Group' and Nebrius, and that we have safely arrived in Belogersk. I believe that Wright will soon break free from the control of the Federation Council and come to us. He has the power to decide his own fate."

"However, I can sense that Wright has always been confused about the future. He doesn't know what his power can do, or what he himself can do. As a result, he has been accepting the various arrangements of fate instead of taking control of his own destiny. Clearly, with his perfect control over the red magic source power, he could have accomplished something great."

"And what about you, Commander Dark Tiris? Do you also aspire to make something of yourself?" Shota Hoshino seized upon the sentiment in Dark's words and asked.

“Of course, but now is not the time.” Dark nodded slightly, staring at the “Map of the Crusad Federation” belonging to Nebrius on the oak desk beside him. He pointed to the location of Icefall City with his finger and sighed:

"Under Wolfya's influence, I tried to promote change in Cruz. However, Wolfya died in the mission assigned to him by Vasily, and died for his loyalty to the Federation and the people. So now, I hope for change in the 'world'."

“I’m not as idealistic as Wright. I know that in the thousands of years of human history, we have never truly coexisted on a large scale with other non-human or anthropomorphic races. In the end, the countries that survived the ‘New Era Crisis,’ whether they were sprawling Khitanris or outpost-based Crusaders, were all based on military strength above all else.” “You mean ‘military government,’ right?” Hoshino Shota asked, frowning involuntarily.

“Isn’t that so?” Darke further explained his thoughts:

"Because of the ever-present threat of war, the Crusad Federation needs this form of organization to secure its right to survival. However, to bring an era to a close and end the wasteland age, an organization capable of accommodating various factions and connecting the world is needed."

"Perhaps the people in this organization do not possess high ranks, nor can they hold important positions in the country or enter the upper echelons. But as long as they have the idea of ​​pushing for the end of an era and bringing about world change, the Creator and the gods will arrange a corresponding destiny to assist them."

“Actually, you want to establish an organization that transcends nations and species, accommodating enough extraordinary individuals and humans who control magical energy. You want them to use more extraordinary power to pray to the gods and change the world. Is that right?” Hoshino Shota analyzed.

“You could say that. But I will destroy everything now and build a new world on the ruins. I heard Ivan XXII’s description of the new era in the ‘Deep Ruins of Suffering.’ But I think he was too radical. Some elites cannot rebuild Crusad in a world ravaged by monsters, but a group of people who abandon interests and devote themselves to ideals can.” Dark looked up sharply at Hoshino Shota, his lips curving upwards in a rather eerie smile under the dim light of the low-powered electric lamps.

“In this white, icy world, as the boundless gray-white mist rises, I will personally annihilate all forces that dare to stand in my way. Of course, this may include you, and it may also include Nebrius and ‘Blood Wolf.’ As a ‘Disruptor,’ I have experienced death. As a ‘Monster,’ I have experienced madness.” Dark pointed to the “Imitation-Mad Bear” pistol at his waist and said:
"I have the ability to destroy and kill everything. But in order to pursue my memories of being a monster, I have been playing along with the Federation and acting as their 'henchman' for many years, only to get closer and closer to death in each war."

“I think it’s because I’ve always cared too much about my human identity and didn’t want to return to the ranks of ‘monsters,’ so I’ve been suppressing my true nature. Maybe I was wrong. I saw the death of Wolfia, the death of ‘Future,’ and the deaths of a whole host of people connected to me… I think I should follow the path of ‘Chaos Group’ ‘Ice Blade.’”

"To become the leader of the Lost Ones organization and fight against the Federation?" Hoshino Shota sneered.

"Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?"

“I can become the leader of humanity. Perhaps not now, but I will have the opportunity after I go to Khitanris.” Dark’s gaze was very firm as he stared intently at the portrait of Vasily next to the map.

This eerie silence lasted for three to five minutes, but Hoshino Shota's expression suddenly changed from solemn to joyful.

“Dark Tirith, you are the human that Nebrius is looking for. I was worried that your insistence on being human would become a shackle to unleash your true nature. It seems you've thought it through, haven't you?” Hoshino Shota turned around, walked to the iron door of the room, pressed an ice-blue button engraved with the Crusad emblem, and continued:
"The morality promoted by the Federal Council is nothing more than a means to train a group of obedient soldiers who will fight bravely. After all, if soldiers know why they are fighting and that their war is just, they will not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder."

"When you abandon your fearless morality and understand how the world works, you'll suddenly discover that you have enough power to control your ambition. Only by combining the two can you get what you truly want. By the way..."

After a series of complex mechanical sounds, the iron gate was suddenly opened.

A group of soldiers from the Nebusk Guard, dressed in high-tech gear and armed to the teeth, walked in and gave Dak a clean and crisp military salute.

"Commander Nebrius should have already returned to the 'Fortress Level' underground from the badly wounded 'Blood Wolf' by now. Before coming here, he ordered me that if you continue to foolishly cling to human morality, then I'll let you leave, away from this place of trouble," Hoshino Shota said with his back to Dark.

“If you show even the slightest bit of your ambition, he is willing to cooperate with you. Even things like ‘changing the world’ and ‘becoming a god in the new world’ are long processes.”

"Is he... Commander Nebrius waiting for me?" Dark asked, looking at the soldier beside him who was wearing the "Ice Lotus".

“Reporting to Commander Dark Tiris, yes. Commander Nebrius has returned to his actual office and is waiting for you there,” the soldier replied.

"Commander Nebrius also asked me to tell you that this office is not his private space, but a standard room for display. Anyone who enters this place will have their deepest desires stirred by the furnishings and the paintings that exude magical energy."

"As a potential collaborator, you have passed the test of Nabrius and the test of the 'Dedicated Group.' You may choose to leave Crusd after the war and go to Chidanris; he will not stop you. But Commander Nabrius believes that you will always return. Moreover, he has entrusted me to bring you an item."

As he spoke, the guard handed Dark a dark, fingernail-sized round gem.

"What is this?" As soon as he touched it, Dark felt a chill run through his body and almost couldn't catch it.

"This is a rank monster. In the old empire's documents, it is called 'Mutant Dark Eye'."